Are You Having A Diabetes ‘Bad Hair’ Day?

Divabetic Bad Hair Days

Do you ever wake up feeling like your diabetes is having a bad hair day?

Diabetes — both type 1 and type 2 — can affect your emotions and, in turn, your emotions can wreak havoc on your diabetes self-management.

Extremes in blood-sugar levels can cause significant mood changes, and new research suggests that frequent changes in blood-sugar levels (called glycemic variability) also can affect mood and quality of life for those with diabetes.

Depression has long been linked to diabetes, especially type 2. It’s still not clear, however, whether depression somehow triggers diabetes or if having diabetes leads to being depressed.

More recent research in people with type 1 diabetes has found that long periods of high blood-sugar levels can trigger the production of a hormone linked to the development of depression.

“Diabetes gives you so much to worry about that it’s exhausting. It can make you feel powerless,” said Joe Solowiejczyk, a certified diabetes educator and a manager of diabetes counseling and training at the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute in Milpitas, Calif. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that, from time to time, you’re going to have a meltdown. You’re going to have days when you feel exasperated, frustrated, sad, in denial and physically exhausted.”

Solowiejczyk, who has type 1 diabetes himself, said these feelings become a problem “when you’re not able to get on with your life, and you’re persistently not taking care of your diabetes.”

We’re here to help. Each month, Divabetic produces a free monthly podcast featuring friendly diabetes educators, sassy experts and marvelous men and women living with diabetes. The  goal of the show is to make you feel more beautiful inside and out.

LISTEN NOW: Listen to Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Kathie Lee And Hoda 
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/04/09/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-kathie-lee-and-hoda

Serve, Taste or Trash! Food Game with Mr. Divabetic

LeAnn Rimes Returns To Spotlight After Rehab

LeAnn’s back and better than ever! And she’s not singing the BLUES either.

During her first post-treatment concert in Eau Claire, Wisconsin last night, LeAnn Rimes took the time to thank her fans for their support.

“I’m totally cool and so happy; I think I’m about to cry,” she said, according toPeople. “Thanks for being awesome fans — patient and understanding.”

She performed an impressive 14-song, 70-minute concert on Friday, giving fans a taste of new material that foregrounds personal turmoil in her lyrics.

The 30-year-old country singer checked herself into a treatment center in August to deal with high levels of anxiety and stress.

“LeAnn has voluntarily entered a 30 day in-treatment facility to cope with anxiety and stress,” her rep Marcel Pariseau explained, as reported by People. While there will be speculation regarding her treatment, she is simply there to learn and develop coping mechanisms. While privacy isn’t expected, it’s certainly appreciated.”

LeAnn Rimes was only 13 when she recorded her smash album BLUE, which introduced the world to a remarkably precocious talent whose voice was on a par with that of Patsy Cline. Ever since then, she’s gradually moved away from her traditional country beginnings–first toward a more contemporary country sound, and eventually to a straight-ahead pop approach not far removed from Mandy Moore or Jessica Simpson.

Don’t miss Divabetic’s free monthly podcast, Diabetes Roundtable inspired by Taylor Swift scheduled for Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 6 -6:30 PM, EST.  
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/09/11/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-mystery-diva

Free Diabetes Podcast Inspired by Katy Perry 
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/07/10/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-katy-perry

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic hosts the roving red TOMATO carpet at the 66th Annual Tony® Awards at the Beacon Theater in New York  to talk about divas, dazzle and diabetes.

Free Diabetes Podcast inspired by Whitney Houston hosted by Mr. Divabetic featuring the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, Mama Rose Marie and real-life diva, Emily C. from San Francisco! 
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/08/07/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-whitney-houston

Mr. Divabetic hosts the roving red TOMATO carpet at the 3rd Annual Bake Bethesda A Pie Contest at Central Farm Markets, Bethesda, MD

LISTEN NOW: Free Diabetes & Exercise Podcast hosted by Mr Divabetic 
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/05/01/studio-d–diabetes-and-exercixe

 

Are Strawberries Better Than Prozac For Fighting Depression?

Strawberries are tasty and totally powerful in benefiting your overall health from your head to your heart.

But can eating strawberries make a cloudy day seem sunny?

Women who eat about two servings of strawberries a week experienced less mental decline over time, research published in the Annals of Neurology found. In the study, researchers reviewed data from 16,010 women over age 70. Those with the highest berry intake postponed cognitive decline by about two and a half years. “We think that the effect might be related to a class of compounds called anthocyanidins, which is a type of flavonoid,” explains study author Elizabeth Devore, ScD, an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “These compounds, found almost exclusively in berries, are known to cross the blood-brain barrier and locate in learning and memory centers in the brain.”

What makes strawberries and other berries so special is their high levels of phytochemicals — those naturally occurring nutrients that help protect cells from damage, says registered dietitian Nancy Copperman, MS, RD, CDN, director of public health initiatives for the Office of Community Health at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Great Neck, N.Y.

What fruits are you eating this summer? The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic talks to everyday people about their healthy appetites at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.

Meet Mr. Divabetic on the red TOMATO carpet at the American Diabetes Association Expo in Pittsburgh, PA and New York, NY and the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Conference in Austin, TX in Fall 2012. For more glitter, games and glucose advice visit: http://www.divabetic.org

LISTEN NOW: Free Diabetes Podcast Inspired by Katy Perry  
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/07/10/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-katy-perry

Stay Healthy By Letting Go Of Regrets

A new study in the journal Science shows that letting go of regret and not ruminating on it may be the more emotionally healthy choice.

For the study, German researchers conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a type of brain scan, on three demographics of study participants: healthy older adults, depressed older adults and young adults. The researchers had the study participants play a game on the computer where they had to open up boxes. Some of the boxes contained money that they could accumulate and earn, and some contained a picture of a devil, which signified game over. If a study participant opened up one of the boxes with money, he or she could decide whether to go on and open another box, or stop and keep whatever money they’d already earned.

At the end, all the boxes in the game were revealed to the study participant, to show whether he or she could’ve gone on in the game without hitting a devil.

Researchers found that when the young adults and the depressed older adults saw that they could’ve gone on to the next box without hitting a devil, they were more likely in future rounds of the game to take risks and keep selecting to open another box. However, this knowledge didn’t seem to have any impact on the healthy older adults, the researchers said.

The brain scans also showed a similar result. The young adults and depressed older adults had similar brain activity in regions called the ventral striatum — linked with feelings of regret — and the anterior cingulate cortex — linked with the regulation of emotions.

However, the healthy older adults didn’t have the same sort of brain activity as the other study participants, which researchers said suggests lower feelings of regret.

The study shows that older, healthy adults may use more emotionally healthy tactics when looking at life circumstances, like telling themselves that things were just by chance instead of blaming themselves, the researchers said.

This isn’t the first study to show that letting go of regret is good for you. A study from Concordia University in Montreal shows that regret — or rather, the distressing feelings that come with experiencing regret — can actually have a negative impact on your immune system.

Health issues linked with regret included cold symptoms and feelings of depression.

Salma Hayek Felt as Ugly as ‘Betty’ in her 20′s

One of our favorite divas, Salma Hayek recently talked about her painful past.   In her early twenties, Salma struggled with severe acne that sent her into several stages of depression. She reveals that her skin was such a nightmare when she was in her 20s that she pretty much became a reculse.

“I had acne. And this acne was so bad, it sent me into a severe, severe depression,” admits Hayek, who at the time had just given up a life of soap-oper stardom in Mexico to try to make it in Hollywood. “Like I couldn’t leave the house.”

Her acne-induced woes didn’t end there. “I’d wake up in the morning and lie there and touch my face before I got up, just to prepare myself to look in the mirror,” she remembers. “The next stage with that sort of depression is food: too little, or too much. Guess what I did? I mean, I was fat and broken out, I couldn’t leave the house and I couldn’t pay the rent!”

REAL DIVA, REAL TALK: Tune in to Diva TalkRadio. Enjoy in-depth interviews with thought leaders, celebrities, chefs, beauty experts and real women living with diabetes sharing their ‘Diagnosis to Diva’ stories.Listen to over 40 free Diva TalkRadio programs using the handy player on www.divabetic.org  New diabetes radio shows added monthly. Callers welcome! Diva TalkRadio Studio Line: (347) 215-8551.